Exposed

Widnes man caged over sexual activity with teenage girl

Ryan Johnson, 24, of Eversley, also sentenced for inflicting grievous bodily harm on a man

Ryan Johnson, 24, of Eversley in Widnes, has been sentenced to a total of three years and 10 months imprisonment for four counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of wounding/inflicting GBH

A WIDNES man had been caged for 30 months for sexual activity with a teenage girl and a handed a 16 month consecutive jail sentence for GBH.

Ryan Johnson, 24, of Eversley in Hough Green, appeared at Warrington Crown Court on Friday, November 4.

Judge Neil Flewitt sentenced Johnson to a total of three years and 10 months behind bars for four counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) on a man.

The judge told the defendant he must serve half his sentence in custody before being released on licence.

Matthew Dunford, prosecuting, told the court that the sexual offences took place on Saturday, July 11, last year with the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Mr Dunford told the court how the defendant committed offences on four occasions on that day and said that Johnson was arrested by police on Monday, July 13.

The prosecution said Johnson, who was 23 at the time, told officers during an interview that he thought the victim was 17.

However, Mr Dunford said that messages recovered from the victim’s phone between her and the defendant ‘makes it clear’ that Johnson knew the girl’s age.

A victim personal statement from the girl read out in court by Mr Dunford said that she had ‘suffered nightmares and regularly wakes up crying’.

The prosecution added that the GBH charge covered an assault in April this year outside a pub in Widnes in which Johnson punched a man who suffered a fractured jaw, later having to undergo an operation under general anaesthetic. A victim personal statement from the man read out by Mr Dunford said that he experienced ‘severe pain’.

Andrew Green, defending Johnson, who has previously been in prison for offences including threatening with a blade and assault with intent to rob, said his client has never had a ‘stable home’ and comes from a ‘broken’ family background.

He said client is also ashamed with the ‘label’ that is attached to him due to the offences he has committed.

Mr Green said: “Clearly Ryan Johnson understands that this has to be a prison sentence. The only question is how long that must be.”

Judge Flewitt, sentencing, said: “You have a number of previous convictions. It is right to observe you have no convictions for sexual offences but you have a number of convictions for offences of violence.”

The judge sentenced Johnson to 30 months in prison for the sexual offences with 16 months consecutively for the assault charge.